Nic Case

Nic Case (born 1963) is an American radio-controlled model hobbyist from Southern California specializing in speedrunning. He is notable for becoming the first person to reach 200 mph (321.9 km/h) with his radio-controlled car,[1] the R/C Bullet, having surpassed his records three times with a confirmed entry at the Guinness World Records in 2008, 2013 and 2014. His attempt has been documented by the Discovery Channel and was cited in an episode of Tosh.0.[2]

Nic Case with the R/C Bullet

Biography

A clay modeller for Ford Motor Company in Irvine, California,[3] Nic Case took up radio-controlled cars in 1990 following a motorcycle accident.[4][5]

At the inaugural "World's Fastest RC Car Challenge" event organized by Radio Control Car Action, he posted a speed of 134.4 mph (216.3 km/h),[6] surpassing the world record held by Team Associated's Cliff Lett in 2001.[7] He later used a Schumacher Mi3 as a base,[8] the car powered by a 11-horsepower (8.2-kilowatt) R/C aircraft motor and a 12-cell battery pack. The car also had a four-wheel drive system of his own design for improved traction and his own tires, which were vulcanized to the aluminum rims, to improve airflow underneath the vehicle. To prevent the car from flipping over, he added a gyroscope steering-correction system from radio-controlled helicopters.[8] The car took six months to build, at a cost of $4,000.[4] This paid off at the ISC Speed Run event in Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, North Carolina, on October 4, 2008, where the car reached a speed of 161.76 mph (260.3 km/h)[9]

Case made another attempt in 2011 when he collaborated with Associated Electrics, which built him a Team Associated SR11.[10] The SR11 was based on the Nitro TC3, a 1:10 scale Nitro Touring Car, but was powered by an electric motor producing 10 horsepower fed by twelve lithium polymer batteries and weighing 10 lb (4.5 kg), with a vertical tailfin mounted to the body for stability.[3][11] His attempt at the Auto Club Speedway was documented by the Discovery Channel.[12]

Case made another attempt on December 19, 2012, when he took the record further at 171.96 mph (276.7 km/h). Unable to bring this any further, and leaving his new record unconfirmed, he briefly retired when his 17-year-old nephew was killed in a hit and run accident. This led Case to reconsider his retirement and submit his recent record to Guinness.[8]

In early 2014, he brought his record to 188 mph (302.6 km/h)[13] and in August he made another pass at 196 mph (315.4 km/h).[1] At an event organized by the Radio Operated Scale Speed Association (ROSSA), he finally reached 202 mph (325.1 km/h) at St. George, Utah.[6][14]

References
  1. "Nic Case hits 196 mph!". LiveRC.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  2. "Tosh.0: Web Redemption, RC Car". Tosh.0. Season 7. Episode 8. April 7, 2015. Comedy Central. Tosh.0: You know what's the world record for an R/C car is? Gentry: Yeah, it's 202
  3. "Remotely, Hobbyist Takes Control of a Tiny 200 M.P.H. Super Car". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  4. "The World's Fastest Remote-Control Car". Popular Science. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. "Team Futaba® Racing Drivers". Futaba Corporation. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  6. "World Record! Nic Case Breaks the 200mph Barrier". Radio Control Car Action. Air Age Media. Archived from the original on 6 December 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  7. "FLASHBACK FRIDAY: Cliff Lett sets Guinness World Record for Fastest RC Car". LiveRC.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  8. Paul Onorato (18 November 2013). "New Guinness World Record—FASTEST BATTERY-POWERED RC CAR". RCGroups.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  9. "Guinness Certifies Nic Case's Speed Record". Red RC. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  10. "Road To 200mph Update With Team Associated's SR11". Radio Control Car Action. Air Age Media. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  11. "Nic Case: The Road to 200" (PDF).
  12. "Team Associated's "Road To 200mph" Featured On Discovery Channel". Radio Control Car Action. Air Age Media. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  13. brandon turkus (27 March 2014). "This 188-mph R/C car will blow your mind". Autoblog. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  14. "Nic Case breaks 200 mph barrier!". LiveRC.com. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
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